Life stories in the Red House: Turkish women on stage

Life stories in the Red House: Turkish women on stage

On October 3, 2025, the Berlin Maxim Gorki Theater celebrates the premiere of the staging "The Red House" directed by Ersan Mondtag. This performance illuminates the life stories of Turkish workers who lived in Germany between the 1960s and 1970s. Four old women appear on the stage who spectators with the question "Are you my granddaughter?" confront. They tell of their memories of the time in the former women's dormitory, which is known as a "red house" and served as a room for the guest workers who worked in the Federal Republic. RBB24 reports that this year's autumn salon at the Gorki-Theater opens.

The "Red House" was located on Stresemannstrasse, a historic building that served as accommodation for young women with short -term employment contracts from 1963 to 1967. These women lived in multi -bed rooms and shared the kitchen and bathroom as they tried to find their way around in Germany. Among them was the author Emine Sevgi Özdamar, who worked for Telefunken during this time. She describes how she worked on the assembly line for eight hours a day for 2.28 marks an hour and had to get up at 4 a.m. She later processed her experiences in the dormitory in her novel "The Bridge from the Golden Horn".

A look at the staging

During the performance, the biographies of women come into their own in a creepy aesthetics. Director Mondtag, who is himself a son of Turkish immigrants, has had talks with former residents of the "Red House" to ensure an authentic perspective. Nevertheless, the staging is criticized for both its missing emotional depth and for the lack of differentiation of the characters. Brief biographies of women are presented in quick sequence, which means that they can hardly be kept apart. Critics complain that the stories of the actors offer too little space for personal identification, which reduces the effect of staging.

An anatol women's choir performs Turkish love songs during the performance, which forms a cultural contrast to the dark mood of the stories. In connection with historical references, for example on Otto von Bismarck, an attempt is made to create a wider context. In parallel to the theater performance, an exhibition takes place in the Palais on the fortress trench, which presents more differentiated and more personal perspectives on the history of women in the "Red House". This exhibition aims to honor the many facets and individual stories of women who had to live and work in Germany.

History of Turkish labor migration

The history of Turkish labor migration to Germany is closely linked to the Federal Republic's recruitment agreements to support the economic upswing. From 1961, after an already established model with Italy and Spain, workers from Turkey were brought into the country. The migrant workers were often found in professions that were considered less attractive by men, as in cleaning or on the assembly line. Between 1961 and 1973, German companies applied for 867,000 workers from Turkey, with the female proportion being around 20% from the mid -1960s. National Geographic documented that many of these women were equated with the term "guest worker", which resulted in a problematic perception.

The reality of life of the migrants was characterized by hard work and regulated living conditions, often in collective accommodation. For many, the arrival in Germany also meant a separation from their families, an experience that was often painful. Despite the challenges, many of them have built up a permanent center of life in Germany, which is reflected in today's society, in which 2.9 million citizens live with Turkish migration history. These developments are characterized by a steady struggle for participation and recognition in the new home.

The staging "The Red House" at the Maxim Gorki Theater provides an important insight into these complex stories and requires a deal with the cultural and historical identity of the Turkish workers in Germany.